10 years ago today, 12 students and 1 teacher were massacred at Columbine High School. The event sparked great debate in this country about not only our gun laws, but also about the nature of our American psyche and our youth, including the subcultures of cliques, the effect of video games, the music, even the use of anti-depressants medications by our teenagers. We discussed thru our saddened hearts this tragedy and what could be done to stop this from happening again. We discussed gun violence in this country. We talked and talked.

Michael Moore made a movie about it. We saw increased security in our public school, and we said we would never again forget those that were disenfranchised. We promised our children and ourselves that.

On April 16 2007, 32 People were Killed on campus at Virginia Tech. The deadliest peacetime shooting in our country provoked the debate all over again. Last July, a gunman targeted a Church becuase he was led to believe that it was a Liberal church. Earlier this month 14 people were murdered in a Binghamton, NY by a disgruntled immigrant and 4 Pittsburgh police officers were gunned down by a man who thought that the President was going to take away his guns.

We have learned nothing and instead, have become numb to these tragedies. These are murders. They are acts of violence and totally preventable. Most of these people were and are worthy of debate as the the mental state of the American culture both as a group and as individuals. I don't believe that we should take away guns, nor do I believe in unfettered access to munitions. I have been told that guns don't kill people -- and to a certain extent I believe that. I also believe that sick people with guns are a bad combination.

Sadly, as our nation is in a very bad state economically, we are seeing more and more desperate people. The hopelessness of the situations they find themselves in coupled with extremist talk from wherever they hear or read it may be driving them to more acts of violence. Instability and fear are easy to manipulate. We are seeing that everyday.

We not only react less, we don't even remember the names of the victims anymore. That may be the greatest tragedy of Columbine. We forgot to never let it happen again.

These are the Columbine Victims.
Cassie Bernall
Steve Curnow
Corey DePooter
Kelly Fleming
Matt Kechter
Daniel Mauser
Daniel Rohrbough
Rachel Scott
Isaiah Shoels
John Tomlin
Lauren Townsend
Kyle Velasquez
Coach Dave Sanders

I hope they are resting in Peace.

:peace: and
Raine